Automate Sample Plating Effort for PCR Testing

The growing number of coronavirus outbreak demands more and more RT-PCR done each day to contain the viral spread. Keeping the daily capacity and TAT balanced is the one key challenge that is affecting labs because every COVID-19 setting including labs is overloaded with work. The solution would be to automate the workflow as far as possible.

How does automating PCR Plating help?

While the available COVID-19 report interfacing and submission process to ICMR and state/central govt. has been automated, the process of creating batches for PCR testing is still done manually. Automating this process can be a solution to reduce the effort and errors that mainly occur during this process.

PCR plating automation can be extremely helpful in two ways. It allows to –

1. Create a worklist aka batch sheet for sample arrangement with the help of the LIMS system
2. Upload sample position to analysers/machines automatically reducing errors, effort and time

CrelioHealth PCR Plating Automation allows you to do just that; eliminating the hassle of handwritten batch sheets at RT-PCR testing. You can print and share the system generated batch sheet with your technician to cross-verify at further steps.

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Benefits & Advantages for Labs

The process automation for PCR plating allows labs to avail the following advantages –

• Quick batch creation targeting 96 samples at a time – Ensures Maximum Utilisation and Saves Processing TAT
• Generate worklist automatically with patient & sample info – Eliminates manual effort at sample arrangement
• Automate upload of sample position to machine (using machine interfacing) – Reduces manual errors like entering wrong sample id into the machine
• Extract count of the sample under process vs pending – Effective to manage workload
• Generate batches from mobile using doctors app – Saves logistical TAT

How does it work?

• Select the samples you want to create batch for
• You can assign any position in a grid of 12×8 or the system can assign positions to samples for you
• Create batch if you have all the samples or save a draft to keep on adding samples as they come to ensure maximum utilization of machine cycle
• Generate a batch sheet to help you position the samples and keep track of them
• Excel export of samples with the position which can be directly uploaded to the machine to save time manually entering sample id one by one